Grain cooling apparatus



Nov. 16, 1965 J. s. WRIGHT GRAIN COOLING APPARATUS Original Filed April15, 1960 INVENTOR lawn/519M ATTORNEY United States Patent 0 3,217,427GRAIN COOLING APPARATUS John S. Wright, Carleton, Mich., assignor, bymesne assignments, to General Precision, Inc., Tarrytown, N.Y., acorporation of Delaware Original application Apr. 15, 1960, Ser. No.22,596, now Patent No. 3,152,873, dated Oct. 13, 1964. Divided and thisapplication Dec. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 342,588 1 Claim. '(Cl. 34-135) Thisis a division of application Serial No. 22,596, now U.S. Patent No.3,152,873.

This invention relates to the cooling of grain, and particularly to amethod and apparatus for cooling grain quickly and in large quantitiesafter it has been treated by a grain dryer.

Grain can be dried in various ways and by utilizing different sources ofheat, such as heated air, for example. A major disadvantage of prior artgrain dryers utilizing heated air has been that such grain dryers tendto scorch or adversely affect the composition of the grain such as thestarch content, germination, protein and carbohydrate content. It istherefore imperative that the previously heated and dried grain bereturned to equilibrium with the atmosphere as quickly as possible andin significantly continuous quantities, if the most eflicient use of thedrying apparatus is to be achieved.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novelmethod and apparatus for reducing the temperatures of freshly driedgrain.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method andapparatus wherein the temperature is reduced quickly and in a singlepass.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method andapparatus wherein the grain is handled continuously.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method andapparatus wherein novel conveyor means are provided.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus embodying the inventionshowing the apparatus in operating position adjacent a truck.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the cooling chamberof the invention taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 with parts being brokenaway; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 33of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a grain dryer comprising a housing21 which defines a tunnel to one end 22 of which grain is continuouslyfedby hand or by a conveyor, not shown. The grain is carried through thetunnel beneath infrared generator assemblies or other heat source, notshown, to the other end 24 thereof and thereafter is carried through acooler 25 where the temperature of the grain is reduced so that thegrain can finally be removed by a portable screw conveyor 26 and loadedinto a trailer or truck 27. As shown in FIG. 1, the grain dryer 20 is inthe form of a trailer having wheels 28 and a yoke 29 whereby it can beattached to a motor vehicle for movement from one place to the other. Aretractable support 30 on yoke 29 holds the end of the grain dryer 20 inspaced relation to the ground 3,217,427 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 Ice whenthe grain dryer is detached from the motor vehicle.

As the grain passes through the tunnel formed by the housing 21, it issubjected to infrared rays from the heat source which may include gasgenerators that discharge infrared rays.

As shown in FIG. 2, U-shaped troughs extending horizontally in the dryer20 provide supports for the grain and the grain is moved longitudinallyand tumbled in troughs 65 by a screw conveyor 66. The screw conveyor 66comprises hubs 67 rotatably mounted in each end of the frame 60 (oneonly being shown). Shaft 68 on hubs 67 at one end of the dryer extendinto position where they can be driven. Wire rods 69 extend betweenpairs of hubs 67. A spiral 70 is formed by arcuate or annular pieces ofmetal joined successively and is welded to rods 69 to form the sprialwhich is open at its center. Tabs 71 are struck out from the peripheryof spiral 70 and extend generally axially and the rods 69 are positionedin the struck out portions of the spiral and are welded thereto. In thisfashion, the screw conveyor 66 is of such a construction that the grainis moved longitudinally and simultaneously tumbled. The use of the rods69 eliminates the necessity for a solid shaft thereby preventing mashingor grinding of the grain as it is moved and tumbled.

As the grain leaves the end 23 of the conveyor, a transversely extendingscrew 75 moves the grain laterally to a conduit 76 that directs thegrain to a cooling apparatus 77.

Cooling apparatus Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooling apparatus77 comprises a perforated drum 100, the perforations 101 of which aresmaller than the grain size. A screw 102 is fastened to the interior ofthe drum and the screw 102 is mounted for rotation through a drivemechanism 108 with the conveyor so that the screw 102 and drum arerotated at a speed proportional to the speed of the conveyor 70 forconveying the grain through the tunnel housing 21.

An arcuate air chamber 103 is provided adjacent a portion of theperiphery of the drum 100 and cooling air is supplied to the chamber 103by a fan 104 connected to the chamber 103 by conduit 105. In thisfashion, air is continuously supplied to the periphery of drum 100passing through the grain to the opposite side of the drum therebycooling the grain. The rotation of the screw 102 simultaneously with thedrum 100 to which it is fixed moves the grain toward one end of the drumas indicated by arrow 102' and discharges the grain into a hopper 106from which it can be removed by a portable screw convyeor to a truck orother vehicle.

I claim:

Apparatus for cooling grain comprising an elongated perforated drumhaving an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, a screwconveyor fixed to the interior of said drum for rotation therewith formoving the grain from said inlet to said outlet as the drum rotates,means for rotating said drum, a fixed housing means extending alongsubstantially the entire length of said drum and having an arcuatecross-section encircling part of said drum and defining an air chamberadjacent to the periphery of the drum, and means for delivering coolingair into said air chamber whereby the air passes into said drum throughthe perforations thereof as they move into 1,697,268 1/1929 Evesmith34:13

alignment With said air chamber, through the grain in 2,069,164 1/1937Vogel-Jorgensen 34-135 the drum and out of the drum through theremaining 2,551,442 7/ 1951 y 6t 3L perforations which are not coveredby the housing means. 3,053,522 9/ 1962 Applegate 34-174 5 FOREIGNPATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 3,377 12 1866 UNITED STATESPATENTS Great Bmam 1,173,188 2/1916 Hetherington 34-137 WILLIAM ODEA,Primary Examiner- 1,571,076 1/1926 Warren 34-135 10 NORMAN YUDKOFF,PERCY L. PATRICK, 1,651,390 12/1927 Hersman 34-127 Examiners.

